Sunday, February 27, 2011

Critique Partner/Group

Hello Everyone.
I know I am officially the worst blogger ever. My lack of blogging is pretty sad, but I still want to blog if I can ever just get myself to do it. Today's blog isn't without reason. I am close to finishing my novel and I am looking for a critique partner or group to join. I looked on google in search of one, but I came up empty handed. Any suggestions or ideas of where I should start would be great. I'm looking for a partner who will give it to me straight and I will do the same. If anyone is interested please comment this post!

Sunday, February 6, 2011

A Snowday (Or Week)

Okay, so this blog isn’t really going to have anything to do with writing, because I barely got any done. This blog is more about the crazy (yet boring) week I’ve had.

So, if any of you don’t know, Texas (and like the whole South) got slammed with snow and ice. Originally they just said ice, but Tuesday morning I woke up and there were huge snowdrifts everywhere. I was delighted. I didn’t have to go to school. So I took my Health test online, read my English assignments, read a submission, and worked on rewrites. And that was absolutely the last day I worked this week…

I was supposed to hang out with Naomi Hunter on Wednesday and we were going to have a writer day. Exchange what we'd written, talk about books and writing and of course whatever else we happened to blab about. We like to talk a lot. But, alas, we never got our writer day which is bad, because apparently I really could have used the encouragement to keep me on track. Hopefully next week has no horrible winter weather or other unforeseen circumstances.

Wednesday morning the power went out starting at 6:30. So we froze our butts off in the living room for like an hour. I’m just grateful they got the power back on and it wasn’t like that all day, but it came on and then went off again and did that like three times.

During the day Thursday I was bored out of my freaking mind, because you can only watch so much TV before you go insane and I’d been reading a lot before the snow, so I’m kind of temporarily booked out. BUT I’ve also noticed that not being able to go out and do anything makes you lazier than ever. Because there was plenty I could have been doing instead of watching TV or reading. I need to write, and rewrite the story I’m working on. I could read submissions, I could do school work (snort). I should have done anything but what I did!

I started to shop. Not like actively purchase, because I’m looking at makeup and I like to go to the store and actually see the colors, and maybe put a sample on my hand before I buy, but I’m making one hell of a list.

I bought some makeup not too long ago from Albertsons for stage make up (because I’m actually performing belly dance every once in a while). I REALLY liked the black eyeshadow I got by NYX. It had the most amazing pigment I’d ever gotten. Most black is really weak and I expected to really have to lay this one on thick to get anything, but I figured I’d make it work. Not this one. You need one coat, and you’d better go light. It’s sooo dark.

So I went to the NYX website just to check out what they had and I saw they had a tutorials page. I figured it would be like ELF Cosmetics and have the steps written out but instead they had videos. So I watched a few and of course got the overwhelming urge to put on make up. And then I saw that both the girls I was watching on the NYX site had their own YouTube channels. By now I’d already decided to purchase a few more NYX products so I’d started my list, and I’ll put my list up at some point in this blog.

When I got to their YouTube channels I watched stuff on hair, and I watched these things called haul videos where they go shop and show you everything they got, which is just awesome. I need a YouTube channel just to do that, because I love sharing what I buy with people! And they kept mentioning Ulta (which is a make up store for those that aren’t into make up or from around here) and I was like “Ulta? We have a new Ulta store in town that I haven’t been to. Ooh, I see fun shopping coming up.” So that’s where I will be going as soon as I can get down the bloody driveway and past all the stupid snowdrifts.

So I did my make up. My whole face. The water went out at like seven that night, but I figured they’d actually have it fixed when the water company said they would. They said it would take four hours. No, they never got the water turned back on. And I shower at night, so I hadn’t showered since like 10pm on Wednesday. So that night all I could do was take off my eye make up. I had to leave my icky foundation on. The water didn’t come back on most of Friday either, but I still put on eye makeup in a different way. I was dying of thirst all day. We melted and filtered snow, but it tastes like freezer burn, and I just don’t like the taste of freezer burn.

So Friday night I finally got to take a bath, but there just wasn’t enough water pressure to take a shower. I just would have been dripped on. A bath isn’t my favorite method of bathing because the soap stays on you no matter what. You just can’t rinse all the way. I also couldn’t use conditioner, so I couldn’t blow dry my hair and since I’m on my new crazy beauty kick I wanted to. BUT, a bath is better than nothing.

We finally had enough water today for me to shower. It was pure bliss. I conditioned my hair and blow-dried it and I’m hoping to get out of this house to go to Ulta. I want to go with some one, because its boring to go by myself, but I don’t think I’m going to be able to find a shopping partner, and I’m so desperate to get out of the house that I’ll probably just go on my own.

I’m sad. I’ve got books and mango coconut tea sitting at the post office and I can’t go get them until Monday.

So here are the links to the two girls I’ve been watching on YouTube.

Elle Fowler
Blair Fowler

They're great, and they do tutorials on makeup, hair, and other stuff. There's even one on applying false eyelashes.

Here’s the little version of my list. I trimmed it down, because I’ve still got some products I’m using and so I might as well use them all up before I get something new and awesome. Also, I really don’t expect this make up/beauty phase to last me very long because usually I get to a school day and say “to hell with it all” and I don’t bother doing my hair or make up or anything. I get super lazy. But I’m going to try and do my make up everyday. I also doing want to spend a whole truck load of money because I just don’t.

I want at least one lip gloss. Maybe two because I want one neutral everyday pink color, and one kind of out there color.

Concealers in green and skin tone. I’ve honestly never owned concealers, because I just figured foundation was good enough, but its really not, so I’m hoping a concealer will hide some of those icky zit areas.

Eyeshadow base because eyeshadows really do stay on longer if you add a base.

A black eye liner pencil. I know, what am I doing without one of these? I accidentally bought a charcoal gray one last time I got eyeliner. Also I’m in the mood to try something new. I really need something creamier for my water line and it really should be waterproof.

And lastly I want to get a red eyeshadow. That one is kinda weird right? Yes, but I saw Elle Fowler do a look inspired by Twilight’s main character Bella Swan and while I’m not crazy about the books (except the first one. That one was pretty good) or her character I’m absolutely crazy about the look Elle did and I don’t have anything even approaching a red eyeshadow because I’m really not a red girl, and its just a weird color to have on hand anyway.

I thought about getting a blush, and eventually I will. I don’t use blush a lot because I get really flushed on my own and hate to add any more color to my cheeks.

Now things I decided not to get at the moment:

A brush set. It would actually be the cheapest thing for me to buy; because where I’d get them it would be twelve brushes for $12. But I think I’ll just work with what I’ve got. I haven’t used brushes a lot before and there’s no pressing reason that I must start now. They’d just be handy to have.

Bronzer. I have one I’m going to use up first. I just wanted a new one because mine is kind of light. But then again, I’m kind of light (see very light. Almost as white as snow. Okay so not really. I’m white but I’d like to think I look a little healthier than snow.)

I also want Mabelline Falsies mascara. I hear awesome things about it, but I already have some very good mascara that I’m going to use up first. It’s pretty close to death anyway, but I can still wait.

I also want a new leave in conditioner. The one I have I love, but it always has this funny scent. Even when it’s brand new, so I’m going to try something different, and hopefully it will have a better smell AND be a better product.

I also want to try a new acne treatment. I miss the days when I had clear skin. I didn’t start getting the heavier breakouts until I was 17. This other beauty vlogger suggested Neutrogena Rapid Clear. Specifically the 2 in 1 toner. Again, this is something that can wait, because I’ve still got some face wash left. It’s also probably something I can put on the grocery list for Mommy to buy so I don’t have to!

The same woman that suggested Neutrogena Rapid Clear also isn’t a morning person. Which Hello! So me. I’m not even human in the morning. She hates to wash her face in the morning because of this lack of humanness so she uses Neutrogena deep clean oil free makeup remover wipes. I’ve always known I should wash my face in the morning, but again, humanness is something I have a problem with. Also, the water in my bathroom sink really has a problem getting hot, and in the winter that’s a real problem. If I don’t want to wash my face in warm water, there’s no way I want to wash it in finger numbingly cold water.

Wow, that was a long, boring, rambly blog. I guess I need to write so I don’t dump on everyone when I finally doe sit down and decide to write a blog.